1. Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil in a pasta pot. Set up an ice bath nearby.

2. When the water comes to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt. Drop the Brussels sprouts into the boiling water and when the water returns to the boil, cook for 3 minutes. Then drain the Brussels sprouts and plunge them into the ice bath. Once they have cooled, drain, trim off the tough ends, and cut them in half lengthwise.

3. In a 14-inch sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the thyme leaves and cook until they are crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully add the Brussels sprouts to the pan (they will cause a spattering ruckus), and cook over medium heat until they are tender and starting the brown, 7 to 10 minutes.

4. Add the pecorino cubes and cook, stirring gently, until the cheese starts to melt around the edges, about 3 minutes. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.

Mario Batali is, naturally, the head chef in his home, but The Chew co-host has always had plenty of backup: sons Benno, 17, and Leo, 16.

“They’ve always participated in the kitchen, and they’ve known how to cook since they were walking,” Batali told PEOPLE at Monday night’s launch party in N.Y.C. for Eat (Red) Drink (Red) Save Lives, an AIDS fundraiser. “Leo makes a really killer beef taco, and Benno makes a stuffed cheeseburger with Gorgonzola inside the burger.”Read More

The massive stores, co-owned in part by chefs Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich, mix elements of food halls, wine shops, specialty grocery stores, cafes, restaurants and even cooking classes in one location. Although there are 27 Eataly outposts worldwide, there are currently only two in the United States: New York and Chicago.Read More